NEW ORLEANS –
After being overwhelmed in his UFC debut this past June, Vagner Rocha was the one in complete control in his sophomore UFC effort.

Rocha battled a game Cody McKenzie in the featured preliminary card contest of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 25 event, which took place at New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The eight-bout lineup streamed live on Facebook and preceded the evening’s Spike TV main card.

McKenzie looked intent to scrap on the feet, but Rocha was able to work the fight to the floor on multiple occasions. Once there, he as an absolute beast in the submission game, leaving McKenzie defending attack after attack. The gritty McKenzie would wow the crowd with several impressive escapes, but it would eventually become too much.

In the second, Rocha again found himself in top position, and he took mount as McKenzie scrambled and rolled. One more turn from McKenzie left Rocha firm on his back, and a ear-naked choke came almost immediately after he established the spot. McKenzie was trapped, and the choke was tight, leaving him little choice but to tapout to Rocha’s non-stop grappling swarm.

With the win, Rocha (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC0 is now 2-1 in his past three contests. McKenzie (12-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has now dropped two consecutive bouts via submission.

Dunham tops resilient Bailey

Moral victories don’t keep you employed in the UFC, but facing a fighter who once was one of the lightweight division’s very top prospects, Shamar Bailey can find some positives in his decision loss to Evan Dunham.

Dunham launched his assault from the opening bell. While most MMA pundits expected Bailey to shoot for the takedown early and often, he instead elected to stand and trade. Launching powerful hooks, Bailey looked comfortable in the pocket, but he’d soon wilt in the face of Dunham’s much-improved striking attack.

By the second round, Dunham had opened a cut on Bailey’s face, and he was peppering his opponent with crisp combinations while avoiding countershots. Bailey tried again to bring the fight to the floor, but Dunham’s takedown defense and boxing attack were simply too much.

Dunham continued pressing for the finish in the final round, and the crowd came to its feet in anticipation of of a knockout. But a gritty Bailey hung on until the final bell, and Dunham was forced to settle for a clear-cut unanimous-decision victory, 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.

Dunham (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who won his first four UFC fights, rebounds from recent back-to-back losses to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard. Bailey (12-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a “TUF 13″ cast member, falls to 1-3 over his past four fights.

Newcomer Benoist upsets Riddle

Promotional newcomer Lance Benoist picked up a signature victory for his young career with an upset of fellow welterweight Matthew Riddle.

Benoist started quickly and kept Riddle off balance with an aggressive and creative standup attack, and he used a slick sweep to gain top position after being taken to the floor. He’d replicate the performance in the second round, though an early knee strike from Riddle would prove the signature moment of the fight as it opened a huge cut on the bridge of Benoist’s nose that flowed like a faucet for the remainder of the contest. Still, Benoist would finish the round in top position to bank another round.

Down two rounds to none, Riddle came out like a man possessed in the final frame. Benoist, meanwhile, looked exhausted and proved comfortable just defending from his back after being taken to the floor. Riddle pounded away from top position, but Benoist did just enough to survive underneath, and the bout was never in danger of being stopped.

In the end, the quick start was too much for Riddle to overcome, and Benoist was awarded a unanimous decision (29-28 across the board) based on the strength of the opening 10 minutes.

Benoist (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who turned pro just 21 months ago, goes to a decision for the first time in his career. Riddle (5-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) suffers his second consecutive loss.

Stone taps out Walker

The third time was a charm for Ken Stone, who picked up his first victory under the Zuffa banner with a first-round submission victory over fellow bantamweight Donny Walker.

However, it was Walker who initially charged forward and took the center of the
cage. But Stone moved quickly into the clinch and used double underhooks to
drag the fight to the floor. Once there, Stone kept the action tight and
secured both hooks when his opponent tried to roll and escape. Once in
position, Stone quickly latched on a rear-naked choke and went to work
on the finish.

To Walker’s credit, he hung on as long as possible and refused to tap
despite appearing trapped. After several tense moments, Stone used a
Gable grip to wrench the choke as he rolled Walker to his belly. Referee
Myron Gaudet didn’t initially notice when Walker fell unconscious, but
Stone alerted him, and the fight was quickly ended after the necessary
inspection.

The technical submission came two minutes and 40 seconds
into the opening round.

Stone (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who suffered knockout losses to Eddie Wineland in the WEC and Scott Jorgensen in the UFC, likely saved his job with the win. That’s not the case for Walker (15-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC), who faces a likely release following his second UFC defeat.

Baczynski blasts, taps out Harvison

Seth Baczynski was determined to make the most of a second chance in the UFC, and he did that with a victory over fellow “TUF” alum Clay Harvison.

After a loss at the TUF 11 Finale in 2010, Baczynski picked up a pair of outside victories and then earned a late UFC Fight Night 25 booking as an injury replacement for welterweight DaMarques Johnson. Displaying newfound composure and heavy hands, Baczynski made quick work of his opponent.

Baczynski dominated the first round of the fight with a prolific striking display that included kicks and punches from varying angles, as well as effective elbow strikes from the clinch. The assault continued in the second, when Baczynski unloaded a vicious right uppercut that dropped Harvison and left him eating dozens of additional punches and elbows. He ultimately gave up his back, and Baczynski capped off the dominating performance with a rear-naked choke.

The tap-out came at the 1:12 mark of the second round.

“I was really disappointed with how many times I lost my composure on the show,” Baczynski said. “I’m just glad I got another opportunity to come back here … and show technical I’ve become.”

In a clash of massive welterweights, T.J. Waldburger used an early takedown and slick ground work to earn a first-round submission victory over promotional newcomer Mike Stumpf.

Waldburger acted quickly and knocked his opponent off balance with a low kick. He then quickly wrestled Stumpf to the mat, took his back, and delivered a steady stream of punches from back mount. Stumpf eventually reclaimed full guard, but Waldburger’s slick finish was just seconds away.

After first securing an armbar, Waldburger rolled and forced Stumpf to go along for the ride. Stumpf briefly escaped the submission, but the Curran-trained fighter then quickly found himself in a tight triangle choke. Waldburger’s lightning-quick transition and choke forced Stumpf to tap-out.

The end came at the 3:52 mark of the round.

Waldburger (14-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) successfully rebounds from a March loss to Johny Hendricks and now owns five victories in his past six fights. Stumpf (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a late replacement for Daniel Roberts, now has lost two of three.

Peralta again dooms Lullo with leg kicks

Despite a new opponent and weight class, Mike Lullo’s second UFC fight played out much like his first.

After suffering a TKO loss due to leg kicks in his octagon debut with lightweight Edson Barboza at UFC 123, Lullo suffered a similar loss to featherweight newcomer Robert Peralta, who continually chopped down his opponent with low kicks for a clear-cut unanimous-decision victory.

Peralta won the first round with damaging leg and body kicks. An overhand right also landed especially flush and created a very noticeable swelling over his left ear. Peralta continued the assault in the second, though Lullo began matching his leg kicks with some of his own. But unable to get a much-needed takedown, he found himself outpointed. It was a trend that continued into the third round, where despite Lullo’s aggression and late-round takedowns, Peralta’s takedown defense, scrambles and leg kicks proved the deciding factor.

Peralta (15-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a Gladiator Challenge vet who recently picked up a Strikeforce victory over DREAM champ Hiroyuki Takaya, now owns an eight-fight win streak. Lullo (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC), meanwhile, is now 0-2 since an eight-fight win streak that earned him a ticket to the UFC.

Edwards started strong with effective work from the clinch and on the mat. Lopez was quicker to the punch and landed heavier shots in the first two rounds, but the resilient Edwards successfully closed the distance and fought mostly from close quarters, where he frustrated his opponent.

Lopez, though, took control in the third round. After a takedown, he swiftly moved to the mount position before taking his opponent’s back and raining down punches. However, before he could wrap up a rear-naked choke, Edwards escaped and ultimately survived the round.

In the end, all three judges awarded him the victory via 29-28 scores.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?